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Holy Falcon Empire
}} Holy Falcon Empire was an ancient strong Human empire united by Ronan in the northern area of Ashan. It was ruled by the Falcon family before they died off. The philosophy of the empire order is “Law & Order” rather than “Good & Mercy” Driven by the Angels, Elrath’s chosen, the children of the Holy Empire believe in the flawed nature of the self, which must be cleansed in the light of Elrath. Their objective is to lead a life worthy of Elrath’s forgiveness, shape the world in his image and spread his sacred Light. History Haven was originally a series of squabbling clans. Ronan the Great, High King of the Falcon, united them through a combination of dazzling generalship, brilliant negotiation,and the occasional political marriage. Once the country was under his thumb, he declared the foundation of the Falcon Empire, and settled in to make his position as Emperor hereditary. This job was made easier by a prophecy that stated that Falcon’s line would endure as long as the world did. At about the same time, the Angels were in a dire predicament: their numbers had been declining for centuries because of their courageous but often deadly exploits during the wars with the Demons and their low rate of reproduction.They were facing the end of their race, and consequently, an end to the worship of their patron Dragon-God, Elrath. So they searched for nations to convert and they set their eyes on the Humans of the young Falcon Empire, lost in the religious upheaval that had followed the Wars of Fire and Sar-Elam’s ascension to Dragonhood. The Angels approached the young boy Brian, great-grandson to the Emperor Ronan Falcon, and helped him convert his fragile Empire into a strong nation dedicated to Elrath. During the First Eclipse, Demons returned to the world of Ashan. The Wizards created the Orcs to stop them. At the end of the invasion, demonic concerns were set aside.The long-restive Orc population, settled in sparsely populated regions and used as indentured troops, rebelled in concert with their brethren in the Seven Cities. They declared themselves free of the Dragons unwilling to worship any gods at all. This blasphemy could not be born, and the Empire’s retaliation was swift. So began the socalled Orcish Crusades. Imperial armies smashed Orc encampments, and relentlessly drove the Orcs back. The broken survivors fled to the most inhospitable reaches of the world. A great armada was prepared to follow the Orcs to the islands and there, wipethem out, but a tremendous storm arose and wrecked the fleet. This, the Emperor decided, was a sign from the Dragons. Enough had been done. The Crusades were over. Geographic Location The Empire lies in the middel of Ashan with the forests of Irollan and mountains to the north and the deserts to the south. Most of the Empire is made up of rich farmland and rolling hills. The countryside is well watered, with several large rivers snaking across the landscape. Theres planty of mines, sawmills and quarrys all over the land to fuel trade the empires economi. The climate is of a constant warm spring. Social organization The Holy Empire is a monarchy with a feudal structure. In theory the Holy Emperor has absolute rule, but in reality the land is chopped up into six duchies (Griffin Duchy, Wolf Duchy, Stag Duchy, Falcon Duchy, Unicorn Duchy, Bull Duchy and Greyhound Duchy) with countless baronies, so that much of the Emperor’s time is spent juggling his various nobles. Frequently at least one of these regions is in some sort of revolt, though these are rarely serious or bloody. Angels don’t have official roles within the Empire, except in times of crisis when they can get temporary assignments. Most of the time, they act as advisors and counsellors with lofty, but honorary ranks. Knights come from the ranks of nobles and socially ambitious merchants.The rise of the middle class has taken place mostly in the cities, and many of the newly rich traders are seeking to ally their families with noble houses, generally through marriage. Most peasants don’t care who’s in charge. They just want to go abouttheir lives, which makes things easier for everyone. The Humans Humans of the Holy Empire cover the gamut, depending on which region of the Empire they hail from. Northern humans are tall, thin and pale, with light hair. Further south, both skin and hair gets darker. Both men and women wear their hair long. Imperialfashion is very modest, nobles and commoners alike wear clothing that covers as much of their skin as possible. Standard clothing includes tunics and leather jerkins, leggings,and boots. Women often wear dresses with long sleeves and high necklines. Haven meals are very plain. For the peasants,it involves bread, cheese, potatoes andonions in various quantities, occasionallysupplemented with pork or venison. Theydrink cider or beer, generally brewed locally.Nobles tend to dine on meat, and plentyof it. No dinner party is complete withoutthe roasting of at least one exotic animalas a main course. They drink wine, usuallyimported. No one in Haven drinks water ifthey can help it, except the priests. External Relations With Other Factions Historical Allies: The Wizards of the Seven Cities. The Dwarves have allied with the Empire in the past against the Demon invasions. Historical Enemies: The Demons - Haven’s nemesis sincethe first days of the Empire. Lesser Enemies: Necropolis and its Undead - theirs doing is a abomination to the light. The Strongholds of the Orcs- They are a mix of the hatred demons and filthy criminals and former slaves that rebelled. The Dungeon Dark Elves -not really enemies but branded as such by the Church of Light because they worship Malassa, the Dragon of Darkness Internal Dissensions The Holy Falcon Empire has known numerous dissensions amongst its six major duchies and hundreds of baronies since the day it converted from Ylath, the Dragon God of Air, to Elrath, the Dragon God of Light. Though religious disputes are by no means the most common reason for internecine conflict, they have been known to be the most bloody. Political rivalries over land and the emperor’s favour have set the stage for forced marriages and trade embargos. The Holy Emperors have learned how to use this internal tension between the duchies to expand their dominion over the centuries. It is easily arguable that without a common enemy, the Holy Empire would have dissolved and returned to a mass of scattered clans, in constant conflict with each other, rather than fighting for a common cause. It is thus ironically fortunate that the Empire’s history was bloodied by countless conflicts with the Demons, Elves, Orcs, Necromancers and various border skirmishes with the numerous Free Cities. This semi-permanent state of martial law hasallowed the Inquisition to keep the empire mobilized for war for several decades. Religion They worship Elrath, the Dragon of Light through the Church of Light. The core of philosophy is “Law & Order” rather than “Good & Mercy”. Driven by the Angels, Elrath’s chosen, Haven believes in the flawed nature of the self,which must be cleansed in the light of Elrath. Their objective is to lead a life worthy of Elrath’s forgiveness, shape the world in his image and spread his sacred light. With the Angels mostly gone, the Holy Empire is the primary remaining base of worship for the Dragon of Light. The Church of Elrath are led by an Archbishop, wields considerable political force, and even the smallest villages have a church near their centre. Both men and women can become priests and they are allowed to marry, though not actively encouraged to do so. Worship of the other dragons still occurs in minor scales, for exemple sailors prays to Sylath for good wind and blacksmiths to '''Arkath '''for a good fire. Magic The Humans pray to Elrath in exchange for blessings and miracles. In this system of belief, magic power is proportional to faith. Angels are a bit different. Being an elder race directly related to Elrath, they have an innate affinity with Light magic. Architecture Imperial public architecture is heavy and ornate. Every inch is covered in sculpture, statues, and the like. Stone is the preferred building material, particularly for cities and noble houses. Most cities are built around a central castle and keep, and the homes of nobles generally have protective walls and at least one defensive tower. Decorative gardens are very orderly, laid out on regular lines with plants arranged in symmetrical locations or in geometrical designs. Smaller buildings, farmhouses and inns are generally made from wood, and most cottages have thatched roofs. The average farm has a central house and two outbuildings, one for livestock and one for storage andseed. The countryside is marked with stone and post fences, and there are standing stone sites scattered across the hilltops. The empire’s vast expanses are criss-crossed by thousands of miles of paved road radiating from the imperial capital. On the battlefield Mounted knights make up the Empire’s heavy shock troops, supported by heavy infantry (the Sentinels, renowned for their discipline and military coordination) and missile weapons (the justly feared crossbowmen).Each noble is responsible for training his local militia and menat-arms, and each troop is under the command of the noble who raised and paid to outfit it. The entire army is under the command of whichever noble the Emperor has appointed to the post. In theory, anyone is eligible. In practice, very few are ever given command of an army the Emperor simply doesn’t trust many of his vassals with that kind of power.The Emperor personally leads the Imperial Host, a collection of battle-hardened troops made up of the best soldiers the Empire has to offer. These owe their allegiance to the Emperor himself and no one else, and there isn’t a force in the Empire who can stand against them. Category:Nations of Ashan